Dear Supporters,
Thirteen years ago the Fukushima Fallout Awareness Network (FFAN, pronounced 'fan') held the first Becquerel Awareness Day with the motto: It's B.A.D. because Rads are bad to eat!
Why a Becquerel? Named for Henri Becquerel, who discovered spontaneous radioactivity in 1896 along with Marie and Pierre Curie. All were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903. Henri, unfortunately, suffered a heart attack at age 55.
The becquerel (Bq) unit of measurement is one atomic disintegration per second. Currently the FDA allows 1200 Bq per kilogram of Cesium-137 in food for everyone which is an outrageously high amount. Japan, on the other hand, allows 100 for adults, 50 for children. Consumers have a right to know how many becquerels are in the food we consume. Cesium-137 deserves the same attention that was paid to mercury in food, especially seafood. Our Citizen Petition filed with FDA back in 2013 asks for far lower levels of Cs-137, as well as transparency with food labeling.
Why April 10th? The date lands between three major nuclear disasters: Fukushima Daiichi 3/11,Three Mile Island 3/28, and Chernobyl 4/26. Each and every nuclear disaster has a start date, but none have an end. The radioactive fallout and waste remain hazardous for tens of thousands of years.
So much has happened since the last B.A.D. Radioactive shrimp recalls took the public and media by storm, and now more people than ever know about cancer- causing Cesium-137. Recalled shrimp was flagged by Customs and Border Patrol at 68 Bq/kg, far lower than 1200 (thanks for listening, CBP!). That made FDA take action and initiate recalls in 35 states over a period of 6 months. The radioactive recalls led to the World Customs Association initiating Operation Stingray, a first-ever system for intercepting radioactive shipments around the world.
So now this year we're counting down 17 Radioactive Red Herrings, in order to counter misleading industry statements with actual TRUTH. There are more than 17, but we'll get to them later.
Follow us on Instagram @FukushimaFalloutAware to "like" the posts on the Radioactive Red Herring list. And message us at FFAN0311@gmail.com if you'd like to collaborate on any of the IG's or have any questions.
Becquerel Awareness Day is a great opportunity to inform a younger audience of influencers, so please join us. And stay tuned on April 9th when we share our new Take Action plan.
Thanks for your support!
~ Kimberly
Kimberly Roberson, Director
Fukushima Fallout Awareness Network
A Project of the National Institute for Science, Law and Public Policy
ffan0311@gmail.com
IG @FukushimaFalloutAware